New adventure play area opens at Fox Hill Primary School

Years of fundraising by the school's PTA has led to the opening of the new playground

Boys and girls can’t wait to come out to play at Fox Hill Primary now they have an adventure play area.

It is the result of years of fundraising by the parent teacher association (PTA) and a financial boost from Bracknell Forest Council.

But the children’s smiles when the bell rings for playtime show it has all been worthwhile.

Where they used to have just a small climbing frame and stepping-stone logs to keep them busy, their new area has a host of play equipment to stretch muscles and fire imaginations.

Headteacher Tracey Moyes said: “It is a kind of trim trail of activities, with different apparatus – there’s a crawling net, a swinging log, a ‘jelly board’ and an activity centre with hanging tyres. It’s a big addition to the playground.

“The children were involved in deciding which equipment they would like. The school council was consulted, then when we had three quotes and plans we talked to each class.”

Fox Hill, in Pondmoor Road, is a small school with just over 200 pupils but the PTA proved it was a giant when it came to getting the project off the ground.

Over three years it raised £6,000, which the school topped up to £10,000.

Ward councillors Peter Heydon and Iain McCracken then matched the sum from their initiative fund – becoming the guests of honour, along with mayor Cllr Alan Kendall, when the adventure play area was officially opened on Friday, June 13.

Cllr Heydon said: “Fox Hill is only a relatively small school and the PTA deserve a huge amount of credit for what they achieved.

“When they needed to double what they had got together, Cllr McCracken and I used our initiative fund, because that’s what it’s there for – for the residents of Old Bracknell – and if it is for the benefit of children, how can you say no?”